The field of the invention is amusement ride vehicles.
Amusement rides have been enjoyed by millions of people, and especially young people, for many years. Most rides, however, do not accommodate guests in wheelchairs. This is because most ride vehicles have some type of threshold at the vehicle entrance requiring the guest to step over during entry and exiting the vehicle. In addition, most ride vehicles have permanent seating arrangements typically in the form of benches stretching the width of the vehicle. Finally, most amusement rides are usually propelled along a fixed track. Due to safety concerns, the ride vehicle is properly located a distance away from, and typically at a different elevation than, the ride loading platform. As a result, guests in wheelchairs usually find themselves waiting on the loading platform for an attendant or assistant to help them onto and off the typical ride vehicle.
Recently there has been an increased emphasis in providing assistance to wheelchair users to conveniently and safely enter and exit a motor vehicle. Most of these efforts involve motorized ramps or hydraulic lifts which require significant time to deploy and space to store within the motor vehicle. However, few, if any, of these improvements have been used in the amusement ride industry. This is unfortunate. An amusement ride vehicle that accommodates a guest in a wheelchair solving the aforementioned problems is therefore needed.
The present invention is directed to an amusement ride vehicle having an integral wheelchair ramp. The ramp is associated with a floor deck assembly designed to telescope out from the vehicle for guest access. To these ends, the floor deck assembly advantageously has a set of I-track guiderails slideably mounted to the frame of the vehicle. For the preferred embodiment, a set of L-track guiderails is slideably mounted to the I-track guiderails, and a support platform on the L-track guiderails functions as the floor of the vehicle when the vehicle is in motion. When the vehicle is at rest, the floor deck assembly is extended away from the vehicle body, over water or other scenery, and stopped above the loading platform in order to deploy the wheelchair ramp.
In this manner, a guest in a wheelchair can advantageously proceed up the ramp and onto the floor of the vehicle, wait for the park operator to return the ramp to the operational position, slide the floor deck assembly back into the vehicle body, and enjoy an amusement ride without having to leave their wheelchair or turn it towards the direction of flow of the ride. To promote safety, the ramp and vehicle door preferably have automatic latch mechanisms. To maintain the ride capacity at all times, a companion seat may be attached to the frame of the vehicle with a conversion seat hidden underneath the companion seating area if no guest in a wheelchair is being accommodated.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an amusement ride vehicle that accommodates a guest in a wheelchair. Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and drawings.